Won't you come down? (Come away with me)
by Eich
Summary: Gail would have been happy to just hide away in the closet by herself, but a sudden intrusion changes everything. Before tonight she had always hated her mother's dinner parties and now she found herself mentally thanking Elaine for it. Or Gail and Holly meet in a slightly different world.


**_A/N: The thing is, I have a test on thursday. A test that I should really be studying for. So of course I sat down on my computer and decided to review this fic I wrote a long time a go but never post it.  
_**

 ** _That's the logical thing to do right? :D_**

 ** _Anyway, this isn't beta-ed and it's almost 10,000 words (biggest thing I've ever written in one go), so I apologize in advance for all the ton of mistakes. ;)_**

 ** _By the way, I kinda altered Gail and Holly's ages so they are in their early 20′s.  
_**

 _ **Hope you guys like and let me know what you think alright? Please?**_

* * *

Gail jolted awake.

Despite the curtains hanging over the big windows, the brightness of the day still managed to find it's wait through the thin fabric. The unexpected clarity burned her eyes and she squeezed them shut again with a hiss.

The pain lasted less than a second but once it had subdued Gail had already feel back into the comfort that the darkness provided her, deciding to relay only in her other senses to asses her surroundings.

From her spot in the floor of the living room, she could hear the muffled sounds of the world outside. There was an occasional car passing by. A kid playing. A dog barking. Birds chipping.

All the regular noises on a regular morning in a regular neighborhood.

But despite the their attempts to break in thought glass and concrete to disturb their quietness, within the four walls the peace was intact. As if the room itself was part of a dream Gail had yet to wake up from, surrounded by the world but still safely secluded.

Nobody was rushing through the house. There was no heavy and rushed footsteps. No voices. No clink of cutlery. No alarm clocks. No ring of phones.

Just slow breathing and hearts beating.

The air was heavy with small particles of dust that tickled her nose, but it wasn't enough to make it uncomfortable, it was just enough to make her remember of old book stores and antique shops. Gail was sure that if she opened her eyes she would see everything through fogged lenses.

Still, remained in the darkness.

Her skin was blanket by the sunlight that managed to keep the heat on her skin despite the light chill of the morning air.

Though she suspected that she would have been warm even if the sun had decided not to rise. There was the sweet aroma of vanilla and cinnamon traveling through the air, wrapping itself around her to bring back memories of caramel skin and soft caresses. Inciting a heat wave in the pit of her stomach.

Gail smiled lazily before stretching her arms above her head, causing the thin sheet to slide lower on her body. She heard the rustle of fabric by her side and a moment later a soft hand settled over her stomach.

Her smile grew bigger as a naked body pressed itself against her bare backs, fully wrapping both arms around Gail's waist.

Was she truly awake?

"Hi." Holly whispered on her ear, scattering kisses across her shoulder.

She tilted her head to the side. "Hey."

Holly placed one last kiss on Gail's cheek and brushed a strand of blonde hair away from her forehead.

"Aren't you going to open your eyes?"

She shook her head and Holly nuzzled Gail's jaw with her nose.

"Why?" The brunette whispered before kissing the corner of her mouth.

"Because I don't want to wake up." The reply made Holly chuckle and Gail could feel it resounding through her.

"I think it's a little late for that." Holly placed another kiss at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. "You're already awake ."

Gail sighed happily, falling deeper into the other woman's embrace. "Am I really?"

"Yep." The 'p' sounded with a pop and she rested her forehead against the back of Gail's neck.

The blonde felt the breath against her skin for a moment of two before whispering.

"So how come I'm still dreaming?"

In any other time Gail would have gagged at herself. She was being disgustingly sappy, ridiculously clingy, over sharing and over feeling things. But not today. Not after last night. Not after Holly.

She felt the arms aroung her tightening.

"You're not..." Holly paused for a moment, sliding her right hand up Gail's body, resting it over her left shouder. "We're not dreaming."

"Why should I believe you?" Gail scoffed."If you're a dream then you're clearly trying to fool me so I wake up and you can be free to roam around invading the minds of other innocent girls. And if you're real, then I've only know you for less than a day." She shook her head. "So as you see, you're not very trustable."

Holly laughed. "You really are insane."

Gail shrugged. "Never told you I wasn't."

The laugh died and Holly shifted so she could face the othe woman. "Gail?"

The blonde hummed in response. "Open your eyes."

Gail felt the soft words spoken against her cheek so she turned her head towards the sound and slowly did as she was told.

Holly swallowed hard, it didn't matter how much she has stared at those same eyes for the past few hours, they still took her breath away. Maybe they always were. She could only hope to discover.

She cupped Gail's face and brushed their noses together. "Hi."

Gail stared at deep brown eyes and exhaled a weak 'Hey' in response.

"Can I confess something?" The brunette ran her thumb over her cheekbone as Gail nodded. "I don't think I have ever regret something so much in my life."

Gail felt her stomach dropping and blinked rapidly at the rush of emotions. It didn't make sense, but she should have seen this coming. "Oh?" Before she could say anything else, though, Holly gave her a lopsided grin.

The same one that had lead her to this situation in the first place.

"Yeah. I wish I had went to one of the famous Peck dinners before."

Gentle fingers grasp at her chin, turning the blonde's face towards hers. "I wish I have met you before."

Gail didn't knew who was the one to close the gap between them, but in the moment that their lips brush together she couldn't care less. She shifted her body, careful not to break their kiss and settled herself over Holly's lap.  
The movement caused the brunette moaned into her mouth.

"Well, you have been missing out." She breathed on Holly's lips.

Holly lowered her head, kissing down her chin and over her collarbones. "I know, but I'll catch up." Gail closes her eyes at the feeling of Holly's words tickling her skin. "If you let me."

"I may need some convincing." She breathed while leaning backwards while Holly kept tracing a path of kisses down her breasts.

This was crazy.

There was no other word to describe it.

Less than 24 hours ago she had been sitting in her house, hiding away from one of her mother's famous dinners, trying to avoid probable suitors and small talks. Just another boring night.

And now…now here she was, waking up to a mess of bed sheets and cushions.

Sleeping in the floor of an empty living room after spending the night wrapped around a very beautiful and very naked girl.

This was crazy.

It was crazy and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Holly nibbled at her neck and for a moment she thought about how many marks from the night before she was carrying with her. How many hickeys, how many scratches, even some bruises from the time spent between their meeting at the closet of her house the and this floor.

She chuckled at the memories, but the sound soon turned into a gasp as she felt the sheets being tugged away from her body.

Holly hovered over her with a smirk. "I think I can do that."

* * *

 _Night before – 19:30 p.m._

The door bursted open and Gail took her eyes away from the game she had been playing in her phone. She hated to admit but her blood ran cold for a moment before she realized that the intruder wasn't her mother. Her shocked expression shifted back to a regular frown.

"What?!"

The intruder however didn't seemed bothered by her antics, instead, the newcomer suppressed a smile. "Oh, sorry I thought no one else was here."

Gail tried to return her attention back to the screen on her hands, but when the brunette made no indications of leaving she sighed and looked up again.

This time, however, the harsh words died on her mouth as she found herself staring into deep brown eyes. Their eyes remained locked for a few moments before the stranger wet her lips, giving her a small smile and finally averting her eyes.

Gail kept her gaze glued to the woman, though, allowing herself the time to actually look at her properly.

Her legs were crossed at the ankles and she had one of her hands resting over the doorknob, while the fingers of her other hand were wrapped around a bottle of champagne. The dark skinny jeans did nothing to hide her curves and the red shirt hang low on her chest, allowing just the right amount of caramel skin to show. Her long dark hair was falling over her shoulders in soft curls and Gail took a deep breath, feeling the scent of vanilla and cinnamon in the air.

She was beautiful.

But it wasn't just that. Gail had seen lots of beautiful women before and none of them had earned more than a few glances. None of them had ever make her stare.

No one she had ever met had managed to conquer her attention long enough for that.

Somewhere outside a glass shattered and they both jumped at the sound.

The intruder looked at her one more time, offering her an apologetic smile before turn around to leave. But before she could step out, Gail forced herself to speak.

"Are you…" Her voice was hoarse and she really didn't knew what to say. She just didn't wanted to see the brunette to walking away. She chastised herself for her awkwardness, but when she noticed that those brown eyes were expectantly looking at her, almost coaxing her to finish her sentence, she cleared her throat and tried again. "Is that champagne?"

The intruder frowned for a moment before understanding washed over her face. She smiled sheepishly gently swaying the Champangne bottle in the air.  
"They have a bunch of these scattered around."

Gail squinted at her. "You know that's stealing, right?"

The beautiful brunette simply squinted back, pointing at the thick white fur coat she had draped over her shoulders. "Is that coat even yours?"

Gail nodded impressed, before tilting her glass towards the newcomer in a silent invitation. Luckily, the young woman took the hint and walked fully into the closet, closing the door behind her.

She sat besides the blonde, opening the bottle and grabbing the glass from Gail's hands.

"I'm Holly, by the way." She said filling the glass.

Gail stopped for a moment before reaching for it. She knew that name, her mother had mentioned several times, actually, usually when Elaine wanted to make her feel bad about how under-accomplished she was.

"Stewart?" She asked just to be sure, but she didn't needed a confirmation. Now that she thought about it, this girl did resembled Charles and Anna Stewart.

If the Pecks were the police dynasty, the Stewarts were the equivalent in the lawyer's world, hence why they were invited to every single social event at the Peck's household.

They were valuable contacts, as Elaine had putted over and over again and so they had become the closest thing to 'family friends' that the Pecks had. That was also one of the reasons why Holly Stewart had been mentioned so many times before, she was the perfect friend her mother wanted her to have.

Gail had never got to met her, though. The girl was smart, being able to ditch every one of Elaine's invitations.

Until now, apparently.

Holly nodded once and extended her hand, Gail took it holding it for a moment too long.

"Gail." She watched as the woman's expression shifted from confusion, to realization and finally to astonishment.

"Peck?" The brunette raised an eyebrow.

Apparently she wasn't the only one that should have 'good friends'.

The idea almost made her burst laughing, but instead she just chuckled and nodded. "Yes."

Holly chuckled too, lightly shaking her head before looking around. "Nice closet you have here."

"Thanks, I like it too. Doesn't smell too bad, does it?"

The young woman shrugged running her fingers over a thick wool coat, before replying. "I've been in worse ones."

She pulled the coat out of the hanger and draped over shoulders.

"You've been in other closets?" Gail took a sip of her champagne waiting for a reply.

"Just the metaphoric one…" Holly grabbed the bottle taking it towards her mouth, but when she noticed the confused face of the blonde beside her, she stopped mid-way. "…I'm a lesbian."

"Oh."

Gail watched as she turned the bottle taking a big gulp. "Hum." Holly nodded turning towards her. "You?"

"No, I'm not a lesbian." Gail said playing with the lapels of the borrowed full coat, suddenly not quite believing her own words. "But I hate people in general."

"No, I mean..." Holly laughed not sure if the blonde really meant it of if she was being teased. "Never mind."

* * *

"So...how does it work getting dressed?" Gail asked swinging her glass, focusing on the carpet as if it held the most complicated of puzzles.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, getting dressed is the best part of a date." She stated matter of factly. "How does it work if it's two girls?"

Holly shot her a weird look. "Best part of a date? Really?"

Gail took another sip and she took it as a clue to continue.

"I don't know. How does it work with a guy?" Holly asked placing the bottle on the floor so she could reach for a fedora hat.

"I've never lived with a boyfriend but if you do, you get dressed firts then he..." Gail turned her head and saw Holly staring at her with th hat tilted to the side. Her face plastered with an amused expression. "...gets...dressed..."

The blonde nodded taking the time to pounder her own words, her face broke on a grin. "Stupid, stupid question."

The other woman smirked and nodded, grabbing the bottle once again.

* * *

"What are we still doing here exactly?" Holly asked after filling Gail's glass for the last time.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we have been sitting in a closet for almost two hours now." Holly says checking her phone. "Why not just head out?"

Gail's widened her eyes, looking at her as if she had grew two heads.

"Back to the dinner?" She scoffed bringing the glass to her lips. "No, thanks."

The brunetted stared at the side of her head. "I have a feeling this isn't your first time hiding from that."

"Have you BEEN outside?!"

Holly frowned. "Is terrible, isn't?"

"It's hell." Gail sighed "But you're lucky, at least you don't have to pull out with all the possible suitors."

Holly rested the back of her head against the wall and closed her eyes, laughing out loud.

Unlike the previous times, though, this laugh was different. It wasn't spontaneous, but forced. It wasn't joyous and carefree, but filled with sarcasm and resentment.

In the small time they had spent together Gail had learned that Holly's laugh made her feel good, but this one only made her want to hit the person that had caused such pain.

"I still have to deal with the possible suitors." Gail saw Holly's shoulders sagging for a moment. "Maybe if they find me the perfect one I could change my mind and slip back into boys."

Gail remains silent for a moment. She shakes her head in disbelieve even though Holly can't see her.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep." Holly lets the 'P' out with a pop and she can feel her blood starting to boil.

"That's ridiculolus!"

"The Stewarts are politically correct." The young woman dropped her voice a tone or two, in a mocking attempt to mimic her father, and raised a finger in the air. "Incapable of getting themselves into scandals or to discriminate whoever it may be. All people are equal in the eyes of the law!"

Finally opening her eyes she chuckled sadly. "Except when it's their daughter."  
Gail fisted her hands, pushing away the urge to reach out and touch the brunette to offer her some kind of confort.

In any other situation, she wouldn't have even considered it. She wasn't the hugging type. Gail Peck didn't offered any form of comfort to anyone, she just didn't knew how to do it. If this was any other evening, any other dinner night, she wouldn't even had allowed herself to get into this sort of heart-to-heart conversation. She would have simply pushed the intruder away.

But for some unknown motive, all of her reasons didn't seemed to apply to Holly.

Or maybe it was just the alcohol.

Yeah, she could get away with that. This was simply the Champagne acting, the Champagne talking.

"They didn't accepted you?" She asked quietly after a few minutes, giving Holly the chance to ignore the question if she wanted to.

Holly opened her eyes but kept her gaze glued to the ceiling. "I'm not sure."

Another minute passed, and when Gail was starting to think that was all she was going to receive as an answer, the brunette glanced at her quickly. "Things didn't changed between us, but we were never close to start with. I feel like they acknowledged it and even accepted, in a way. But only as a phase."

She twisted the bottle in her hands. "They didn't supported me. And since they keep introducing me to every 'goog guy' they can think off, I can certainly say they don't respect me either."

Gail drank the last few drops from her glass. "I'm sorry."

"Least they didn't kicked me out. It could have been worst." Holly shrugged and offered her a small smile, trying to lift the mood. "And then, there's my grandmother. She thinks me liking girls is the coolest thing ever. She even introduced me to my last girlfriend."

Gail quirked an eyebrow. "Don't tell me it was one of her friends."

"As much as I like her pottery group it wasn't" Holly laughed shaking her head and Gail couldn't help but to smile at the sound. This was the laugh she liked, the one she was sure she would never get tired of. "Amber worked at a flower shop near her house. My grandmother used to go there all the time and one day she just dragged me along, she left with a bunch of lilies and I left with a date."

The blonde felt a small tug on her chest but was quick to dismiss it. "Go grandma."

"Go Nana." Holly corrected with a smile

A moment passes in silence before Gail spoke again. "Why haven't you brough your girlfriend along?" She tried to sound disinterested but even to her own ears it sounded forced. "She could have made you company in this misery."

"We're not together anymore." Holly answered before the words had even left her mouth, and Gail tilted her head to look at the brunette. "She had to move away and we both knew long distance wouldn't work. We're still friends, though. I'm single." She rambled a little too fast, and Gail had to repress her smile.

"Oh."

"Besides." The brunette smiled, getting up "I think I did a great job in find myself some company."

"Where are you going?" Gail asked noticing that Holly was stripping the coat and hat.

She grabbed one of the hand bags from the hanger, fishing a piece of paper and a pen, and turned her backs to the woman sitting on the floor. Holly scribble something and folded the paper.

"Can you pass me that jacket please?"

Gail spotted the grey wool jacket and got up handing it to Holly. The brunette stuffed the note in the inner pocket taking out some car keys from it.

She swirled the keys in her fingers, smirking at Gail. "Looks like the Stewarts will need a cab."

Gail stared at her in shock and amusement. She couldn't believe Elaine had really believed this girl would be a good influence to her. "Holly, where are you going?"

Reaching for her hand, Holly tugged her closer while opening the door with the other hand.

"First is not where 'I'm going' is where 'we are going'." She gave Gail's hand a little squeeze. "And secondly, who cares?"

Gail saw her leather jacket at the back of the closet and barely had the time to reach for it before being pulled out of the room.

Her front practically smacked into Holly's backs and a laugh bubbled from her mouth, silenced only when the other woman placed a finger over her own smiling lips, motioning for her to be quiet.

They tiptoed across the entry hall and after a few seconds they were both racing towards the parking cars.

Gail knew she'd pay for this escapade later, but with the feel of Holly's hands in hers, the memory of Champagne in her lips and the sound of laughter on her ears, who cared?

* * *

Holly didn't drove very far. She had just exited the residencial neighbourhood and into a busiest street when Gail started to give her directions and in less than 10 minutes the pair was sat in a corner booth at a dinner.

Neither of them were drunk, not by the slightest, and both of them knew that, but still, Gail couldn't pass the oportunity to use the alcohol as an excuse to get grissiest food she could thought about.

And when Holly had just finished parking and stared at the building with a quirked eyebrow, Gail had claimed that they were both 'daughters of the law', afterall, and needed to be responsable.

The brunette hadn't been able to argue with such logic, and so she had simply chuckled and allowed herself to be pulled inside the restaurant.

It was still very early for a friday night and the dinner was still empty. The usual costumers were only begining to party and wouldn't show up for a few more hours, leaving the best place availiable for the two of you. A booths facing the big windows so that you can watch the cars passing while waiting for your food to arrive.

"Didn't pegged you for an extra bacon kinda girl" They were sitting oposite to each other, with Gail's feet placed on the seat besides Holly. She was wearing a dress but her ankles were crossed and she had throwed her leather jacket over her lap to make sure she wasn't giving any of the costumers a show.

Holly smirked and patted her bare calves. "There's only so much spinich a girl can take, and I did ordered a fruit smoothy."

She bended her knees, mimicking the other woman's position, but keeping the soles of her feet supported on the seat's edge.

Her hand fell from Gail's leg to the seat and the blonde immediately missed the warmth.

The waitress placed their orders in front of them and they both dig in without many words.

Holly took a bite of her burguer, moaning at the taste.

The sound sended goosebumps down Gail's spine and she quickly retrieved her legs from the seat, putting her feet on the ground so she can cross her legs properly. She reached for her chocolate milkshake, taking a big gulp to quill the flush in her cheeks.

"I know...it's..." Gail cleared her throat "It's good right?"

Holly nodded too excited by her food to look up, and Gail couldn't be more grateful for that. At least she wouldn't have to make up an excuse to explain her blush.

She wouldn't know how to.

She was not even sure why she was blushing so much.

"You come here often?" Holly asked after another bite and Gail almost choked at her words, the brunette didn't noticed, though, still gladly munching her burguer.

"'You come here often?' Really? Wow, that was smooth Stewart." Gail asked with a mocking tone, grining at her companion.

The other woman looked at her with a confused expression. "What?" Recognition washeed over her face after a moment or two making Gail laugh. "Oh, no, no, no, I'm just curious." She smirked. "My game is better than that."

"Your 'game'?" The blonde laughed even harder. "You are such a nerd!"

Holly smiled and Gail diped a fry on her milkshake.

She still remembers the day Steve showed her how to do that, she always thought it was disgusting until the day he convinced her to try it. She still thought it was a little weird, this wasn't her favorite way to eat fries, she much rather dip it in ketchup, but whenever she came here and he was away she found herself falling into this habit without much thinking.

She brought the fry to her mouth and took a bit, carefully inspecting the remaining piece. "I used to come here with my brother when we were younger. He used to bring me here every weekend."

"He wasn't at the dinner tonight?" Holly sensed the change in her tone and putted her food down, reaching for a napkin.

Gail shook her head lightly. "No, he's undercover."

This wasn't the first time her brother went undercover and it certainly wouldn't be the last, but she always missed him the same way. Always worried the same.

"Must be hard." Holly spoke quietly not to startle the other woman deep in thoughts.

Her voice broke into Gail's memories and she looked up to find warm brown eyes staring at her. Gail was sure those eyes were looking into her soul, way pass her walls, but for some reason she didn't had the energy to build her barriers again.

Or the will to do it.

"He's a good detective."

"I'm sure he is. What I meant was that it must be hard for you." Holly hand slided across the table, stopping inches away from hers. "You must miss him."

Gail eyed at the hand but couldn't bring herself to take it. Not yet. This was way too much. Way too soon. So she grabed another fry instead. "I do, but it's his job. His life."

The brunette's eyes fell to the table and she also retrieved her hand, grabbing her burguer once again. She cleared her throat before speaking, and Gail almost regreted her silent withdrawal. Almost. "You're going to the academy too?"

Gail stared at her blankly and she smiled. "Alright, let me rephrase that Ms. Peck. Do you want to go to the academy too?"

"Yeah, I guess." Gail shruggled. "I always knew this was something I was going to do, I think I got used to the idea. I've been training for this my whole life and I wish I hadn't, but at the same time I like the idea of helping keep people safe."

Holly smiled softly at her. "That's great."

Gail could feel herself starting to blush under the smile so she took another big gulp of her milkshake. Fighting a grimace at the burn feeling it causes in her throat "How about you?"

"No, I couldn't be a cop." Holly said trying to hide a mischievous smile and looking at Gail from under her lashes.

Gail simply stared at her for a moment before breaking into a grin. "Funny. You're funny." She threw a fry across the table. "I mean, do you want to become a lawyer too, smart pants?"

"God, no!" The other woman sighed. "I grew up in courts and memorizing laws, and I hate it."

"You managed to escape the Stewart's legacy?"

Holly nodded. "But only because I'm going to medical school and only because I'll make my residency in forensic pathology."

"Nerd." Gail teased with an impressed face.

"You said that already."

"Before I was teasing, now I know." This time is was Holly who threw a fry across the table, and Gail simply grabed it putting it into her mouth. "But are you happy with that?"

"Yes I am. I love that I get to help people get closure. Solve puzzles."

"Alright then, Doc." Gail could see the passion behind the words and couldn't help but to smile at the other woman.

Holly smiled back holding her gaze. "Alright then, Officer."

* * *

"No!" Gail whined over the rooftop of the car.

They both had finished their meals and were now trying to decide where they should go next.

Going back to the Peck mansion wasn't even a possibility.

Holly tilted her head to the side. "Come on! It will be fun!"

"Fun?!" Gail crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Holly, I'm NOT going to the batting cages!"

"Why not?"

"First, I don't do sports. And second, have you noticed that I'm wearing a dress?" She motions towards her own body even though Holly can't see it. "And heels?"

Holly ran her tongue over her lips and lowered her eyes to the ground, silently muttering. "Oh, I've noticed."

Her words were lost in the night, they didn't reached Gail's ears and they never meant to. But when Holly raised her head again, the smirk in her lips and the predatory look in her face weren't lost to the blonde. Gail's breath scape her lungs and for the second time that night she is at lost for words, but it only lasted for a moment.

Before long, Holly was back with her warm eyes and playful grin. "I mean, I'm sure you can work with that."

Gail blinked a few times, trying to dismiss her previous reaction, and goes back to pouting. "Absolutely not!" The phone buzzed in the pocket of her jacket but she ignored it. She was ignoring calls for some time now, which could only meant Elaine should have noticed she was gone. "And it's past eleven in the night Holly, there's no batting cages open."

"I know one that is open 24 hours."

"Who the hell goes to a batting cage in the middle of the night..." The words are barely out of her mouth and she already knows the answer. Of course Holly would. She's weird like that. Gail sighed. "Why?"

"It's a great way to burn some energy." Holly answered while playing with the keychain over the rooftop. She had a light blush in her cheeks and Gail thought she looked adorable when embarrassed.

After a moment, Gail started to walk towards Holly, taking slow deliberate steps towards the brunette. Never missing the way the other woman gulps when she started to get closer. "There is another great way to burn energy at night and it doesn't even involve leaving the bed."

Holly's mouth hung open but when no words came out, the blonde smiled innocently. "Video games."

The other woman laughed. "Video games don't really burn energy."

"That's 'cos you never played right."

Gail stopped right in front of her, and Holly took a step forward, bringing they bodies closer. "Maybe you can show me someday, if I get to take you to the batting cages."

"Trying to bribe me into a date?" The blonde raised an eyebrow and reached for the keys. Holly pulled her hand away in the last second, bringing it up with the car key hanging from her fingers. "I don't date straight girls."

Gail smirked and pushed herself up to grab the keys and unlock the car. She waited until Holly was standing by the passenger's side to speak. "Tell me Holly. When have I ever told you I'm straight?"

She jumped into the driver's seat, leaving Holly with wide eyes staring at nothing. The sound of a horn made the brunette jump and she finally entered the car, to the sound of Gail's laughter.

* * *

When Gail turned at the right street, she quickly scanned the buildings for the right sign.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been to this place so she had no way of knowing if it was still running, just like she wasn't sure if it was still opened all night. The bright neon sign told her everything she needed to know, though, calming her previous worries.

Gail used to come here at least three times a week when she was a teenager, but she hadn't ventured herself into this place for a few years now. For some reason she had felt the need to return tonight.

There were many other places she could have taken Holly to, they could have gone to a bar, to a club…hell, they could have just stayed at the dinner for another hour or so, until it was safe enough for them to go back to Elaine's house.

She could have taken Holly anywhere but here. Gail had teased the brunette about the batting cages, but this was probably just as weird.

Maybe that was why it felt so right.

Or maybe it was just the scent of vanilla and cinnamon coming from the girl sitting next to her. Maybe Holly had the power to make everything feel right.

With a soft smile, Gail parked the car and stared at the building for a moment.

Holly chuckled in disbelief. "An arcade? Really?"

"What?" Gail turned to her, cracking her knuckles. "You wanted something 'sportsy' and I can play air-hockey on a dress."

"But the real question is" The brunette pointed a finger at herself, grinning. "Can you beat me?"

She earned a scoff. "Please."

"I'm the Nerd." Holly's phone buzzed over the panel but she didn't even glanced at the screen, choosing simply to pick it up and throw it inside the glove compartment.

For a moment, Gail wandered if it's was Holly's mother, of maybe even her father, and if they were used to their daughter doing things like this. Disappearing in the middle of the right with their car, running away and leaving behind nothing note haphazardly thrown in one of their pockets.

The thought left her with many questions and Gail suddenly realized how many thing she craved to learn about the woman she had only just met. From birthday dates to biggest fears, all the important and all the random pointless things that one would have labeled as boring but that she yearned for all the same.

But more than anything she wanted to know what was this thing invisibly pulsing between them and pulling them closer.

She wanted to know if Holly could feel it too.

Despite the words begging to come out, burning her throat and clenching at her heart, Gail couldn't bring herself to make the question. Too afraid to put an end to their night with her heavy questionings and precocious feelings.

Even if the answer was a resounding 'NO' and Holly's emotions weren't in sic with her own. Even if the significance of this night was all in her mind and she had spent the last few hours fooling herself. Even if nothing was ever born out of this adventure, Gail choose not to have her hopes shattered just yet.

She'd rather have the sun melting all of her feelings away than to have the moon crying over what could have been. And, so, she simply shrugged and unlocked the door with a mischievous smile. "I'm the rebel teen who used to skip school to stay here."

"Oh, this will be interesting." Holly said before following the blonde towards the arcade.

* * *

When they first entered the room all eyes turned to them. After all, It wasn't usual for such establishment to receive formally dressed women in their early twenties at this time of the night.

But soon the people forgot about the two overdressed girls and went back to their own business, much to Gail's relieve. She didn't minded being the center of attentions, but this night was theirs and it felt wrong to have other people breaking into their little bubble.

When Holly had entered the closet the whole word had turned into background noise and only they had remained.

They brought the chips and Gail literally dragged Holly to a shooting game when she saw that the air hockey tables were all take, laughing at the horror expression in the woman's face as the monsters kept getting closer and closer.

"You need to kill them Holly!" She shouted between laughs. "You should be my back up woman! Help me here!"

"I can't shoot! You're the Peck!"

Gail bumped her shoulder and kept killing monster after monster. "Just point and pull Holly! Just point and pull!"

A second later red angry "GAME OVER" broke into the screen and Gail groaned, letting her head hang towards her chest. "That was terrible Stewart."

Holly sighed shaking her head. "I know, I know. I never held a gun before in my life."

"Really?" The blonde chirped up with an exaggerated happy smile, sarcasm dripping from her words. "I couldn't tell."

Holly smacked the plastic gun on the other woman's shoulder, squinting her eyes. "Ok, now that was just mean."

Gail laughed and inserted another chip.

"Alright, let's go from the start ok?" She turned to the side and adjusted Holly's posture. "Hold it like this and keep your arm a little higher. Lose the tension on your shoulder otherwise you'll be sore later." Gail picked her own gun. "Now just point at anything that moves and press the trigger, got it?" She waited for the nod before selecting play.

Holly wasn't perfect, not by a long shot, but at least this time she managed to hit a few targets.

Every time a monster dropped, Gail could see the smile growing in Holly's face.

When their time was up and they were still standing up in the screen Holly fist pumped the air and blew at the end of her plastic gun.

Gail laughed at the scene and pushed her off the game booth. "Alright, alright, let's go Silver Bullet."

They went to a few other machines, altering from fighting games to simulators, until they managed go settle in one of the air hockey table.

Holly supported her weight over the table and leaned forward. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Stop talking, start playing Doc." Gail said while taking off her hills and placing them under the table.

The brunette smirked, playing with a coin. "Ok, but don't tell me I didn't warned you." She inserted the coin and the game started.

* * *

Gail walked a few steps ahead of Holly with wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

That wasn't possible.

She, Gail Peck, had lost.

Lost!

She had never lost an Air Hockey match before. Ever.

Strangely, though, she wasn't as annoyed as she supposed to be. She was just in awe. Truth be told, she was utterly impressed.

Holly chuckled besides her and used her finger to close her mouth. "Suck it up Peck."

They reached the car and as Gail unlocked the car, Holly took the keys from her hand. "No. Now is my turn." Gail narrowed her eyes. "No batting cages, I promise."

"Alright." Gail raised her hands in defeat and walked to the other side of the car. "It is your car after all."

"It's my father's car." Holly corrected and entered the car. "And he will never let me forget about this fact."

Gail sat on the passenger seat and nodded sympathetically. Elaine would never let her forget about this either. "Should have thought this through, hum?"

The brunette stopped with the keys in the ignition and gave her a soft smile. "The more I think about it, the more I'm sure I'd still do it."

Gail felt her mouth going dry. "It's a…" She cleared her throat and averted her eyes. "It's a nice car."

Holly grinned and started the car. "Ready?"

* * *

"Hey Joey!" Holly smiled at the big guy standing by the side of the door.

The line was big and there was a second guy holding a flashlight and checking ID's but he didn't even paid attention to her and Gail. Some people frowned at them but there was nothing they could do to against the power of knowing the security guard and so they simply resigned to be standing there waiting for their turn.

The big man glanced at them and the scold softened when he saw who had called for him. "Hey doc! What's up?" He smiled and uncrossed his arms.

Looking at him closely, Gail could see that he was one of those big teddy bears kind of guys. The ones that scared the shit out of jerks but that tended to be everybody's best friend.

He reminded her of her friend Chris, except Joeys was at least four times bigger.

"No much." Holly smiled back. "How's your sister? I haven't talked to her in a while."

"Oh she's good, thanks." He grinned. "We'll throw a little party at the new house when we finish unpacking, you'll be there right?"

"Absolutely! Just give me a call."

The security nodded and opened the front of the line to have them pass. "I'll let you know! Have fun you two."

They both passed and Holly gave him a half hug. "Thanks."

Gail followed behind her as they entered the club. The loud music engulfed them both as her eyes fought to adjust the darkness of the room. "Who's the sister?" She asked leaning on Holly's ear with a devious grin. "An old affair?"

"She's a friend for college." Holly shook her head and rolled her eyes at the question. "A real friend, no benefits other than skipping line at this club." She added quickly, sensing Gail's line of thoughts.

Holly grabbed Gail's hand and tugged her towards to the bar. "Come on!"

Gail hated when people took her hand without permission, she hated to have her personal space invaded. But when she felt the warmth of Holly's hands in hers and noticed how well her fingers fitted in between the brunette's, she found herself bringing her other hand to wrap around Holly's writs.

She mentally told herself that it was simply just so she wouldn't get lost in the sea of bodies dancing, but it was bullshit and she knew it.

Gail was screwed.

They reached their destination and Holly raised two fingers at the bartender. "Two shots, please."

The glasses were placed in front of them and they held each other's gaze.

"To pissing off the progenitors." Gail raised her glass on a toast.

Holly smiled. "To never hearing the end of it."

They gulped their drinks down and placed their glasses on the countertop. Holly grabbed Gail's wrist again and started to guide her away from the bar. "Let's dance."

"I want another drink." Gail tried to argue but the idea of dancing with the woman in front of her wasn't leaving much room for argument in her own mind.

Holly gave her a lopsided grin and leaned closer to her. "I didn't brought you here to drink." Gail could feel her scent shutting down all the coherent parts of her hazed mind at the same time that the warm breath hit her skin and made goosebumps ran across her arms. "I brought you here to dance.

The brunette started to walk again and Gail offered no resistance whatsoever. She was just glad her legs were working well enough to carry her to the dancefloor.

This night was going to be the death of her.

And she couldn't wait.

* * *

At the first swing of Holly's hips, the blonde was mesmerized. She may have spent a moment too long admiring the other woman dancing, and if she was still thinking half coherently she would have felt stupid drooling over someone like that.

But not right now.

Right now all she could feel was Holly.

Holly glanced at her and smiled, grabbing Gail's hand as she gave her backs to the other woman. She placed the blonde's hands on her waist and pressed her backs flushed against Gail's chest.

Gail may have moaned at the feeling or it may have been Holly, either way, the music overcame the sound and she unconsciously started to move to follow Holly's pace.

At that point, Gail would sure she would follow her anywhere.

Since a very young age, Gail had been forced to learn all about drugs - courtesy of her childhood training - but she never knew someone could get high on the scent of vanilla and cinnamon until this moment.

Until it was dripping from Holly's every pore straight into her brain, burning down her neurons and making her numb to the rest of the world while being hyper aware of everything that had to do with the person pressing against her.

There was a small part of her screaming for Gail to push away, telling her over and over again that this was too much and too soon. But for once she decided to ignore the nagging voice inside her mind and closed her eyes, allowing herself to bask in the feeling.

If this was all a dream from which she would wake up in the morning, she would take as much as could possibly from every moment. And even if this was still alive when morning came, she still didn't wanted to wait.

She wanted Holly and she wanted now.

Spinning her around, Gail carefully brought Holly's arms up to her neck and let the back of her hands caress soft skin. Holly was startled for a second but soon she grasped at the fine hairs at the base of her skull, scrapping her nails across the delicate skin there.

Gail shuddered at the sensation and pulled Holly even closer, their breaths mingling and noses barely touching. Holly's eyes traveled from her eyes to her mouth, settling in the last as the brunette bit down on her own lower lip.

The blonde's mouth watered at the sight, her mind wondering how those lips would taste in her own tongue.

She caressed Holly's cheek with the back of her fingers and leaned even closer. She was about to brush their lips together when someone bumped on her shoulder and sent her stumbling into the other woman. Holly took a step back with the impact, gasping when a cold liquid drenched her chest and neck.

She immediately tried to pry the shirt away from her overheated skin but the tight fabric didn't left much space for it.

Gail placed both hands on her arms, scanning her figure with trained eyes. When she was certain that Holly was okay she turned around, fuming with irritation. "Hey idiot!" She grinded her teeth sending the guy a deathly glare.

"Shiiiiiiiiiit!" The sluggishly tone added to the wobbliness of his feet and glassed eyes confirmed her theory that he had drank much more than he should have. "I'm soooooooo sorry, I ma sorry." He took the napkin from the bottom of his glass and moved into Holly's personal space.

As soon as his hand made contact with her neck, though, Gail stepped in front of him and shoved him backwards.

"Get your hands off, dumbass!" She hissed at him and Holly immediately placed a hand over her shoulder to stop her from reach for him

"Gail! Stop! Let's just get out of here." Her hand slide across her arm and she intertwined their fingers, leading Gail through the crowd as the blonde kept giving the poor guy a death glare.

They walked towards the exit and as soon as they got to the sidewalk, Gail released their hands, buffing. "He shouldn't have touched you!"

Holly frowned. "I know, but you don't need to get this worked up. It's ok."

"No it isn't!" Gail shouted, anger still boiling on her blood. If Holly hadn't stopped her, she would have been kicked out of the club for hitting that guy. He certainly deserved.

Holly sighed and leaned against the door of the car, watching as the other woman paced in front of her. She crossed her arms to keep the chilly air away from the dampness of her ruined shirt. "He didn't meant it like that, he was just trying to help."

"After spilling his drink on you!" Gail stopped and opened her arms at her.

"Exactly. He was a drunk idiot, nothing to get this angry about."

Gail's arms fell flat on her side and she took a deep breath. She knew she was overreacting but it was Holly and they had almost kissed and she couldn't help but to want to murder that jackass for ruining the one chance she had of tasting vanilla and cinnamon.

"I know, I know is just that…" She trailed off, unsure of how to finish that sentence.

Holly pushed away from the car and stood in front of her. "That what?"

"I don't want to go back to my house yet." Her eyes dropped to the ground and she felt small, ridiculous even for admitting such thing. Holly was going to think she was a crying baby that was simply afraid of facing mommy.

They remained in silence for a moment before she saw Holly's feet coming into her line of sight. She automatically raised her gaze to meet brown soft eyes. "I don't want to go back to my house either." The other woman said quietly. "But there's one last place we could go."

The idea of continuing with this night sent a new rush of excitement to wash over her, but when Gail noticed the goosebumps on Holly's arms and the huge wet spot in her shirt she took a step back. "You're all wet and it's cold, you're going to freeze."

Holly unlocked the car. "We should hurry up then."

* * *

"First you steal a car and now you want us to break in?" Gail stared at the locked gate in front of them. "Are you sure you're from the right side of law?"

Holly passed by her, coming to stand in front of the iron bars. "I didn't stole a car." She blinks a few times faking ignorance. "I just… borrowed… without… asking."

Gail laughed at her antics and waited for her to continue.

"Also, my family still owns this place." She turned to look at the house standing behind the gates. The night was bright and from what Gail could see under the light of the moon and the lightening poles, it was a big three-storey house made of stone, there were a few trees at the front and a cementer pathway leading to the front door. From this angle, it looked like it could put the Peck mansion to shame.

No wander her mother wanted her to befriend Holly. "This is our old house, it will go to the market soon, but right now it's empty."

Gail took a few steps closer and grabbed two of the iron bars, resting her head it the space between them to have a better vision point. They both stared at the building for a moment or two before Holly started to take off her shoes. "Wait here ok? I'll be right back."

Gail frowned. "What are you…?" The question was answered before the words had even left her mouth, when the brunette started to climb the brick walls that surrounds the property. She tried not to stare at Holly's legs or at her ass, but from her spot in the ground and with Holly wearing those thigh black jeans it turned to be a very difficult task.

One that left Gail sweating and panting. Her knuckles white from the force she was inflicting upon the iron bars.

Holly landed with a muffled thud on the other side and stared to walk away. Gail took the moment to rest her backs against the gates taking big gulps of air in an attempt to steady her heart.

After a few minutes, she felt the gates shaking and pushed herself up. Holly opened the locket and made a small gap for her to pass, bowing to the waist and holding an arm out. "Milady."

"Nerd." Gail chuckled as she entered the property.

"I think we've already stablished that."

"This is nice." The blonde ignored the comment, scanning the garden and noticing it was much bigger than she had first imagined.

"Yeah, I grew up on this house." Holly said staring at one particular tree that still held an old wooden swing. "I loved to play in this garden."

"Do you have any siblings?" Gail asks curiously, trying to find the information her mind but failing. She wished she had paid a little more attention to all her mother had told her about the Sterwarts.

"Yes, I have an older sister." The other woman smiled at her. "She's the next generation of lawyer in the family so I'll be forever thankful."

"Were you two close when you were kids?"

Holly started to walk to the back of the yard and Gail followed her with lazy steps, tempted to take off her own hills so she could step in the cold grass. "We still are. My mother wasn't around much, but Hayley was always there to give me date advises or to talk me through my panic when I realized boys weren't an option for me."

"That's good. She sounds great." Gail smiled at the thought of a young Holly rushing to her sister for advises. Looking up to her like a role model, an 'adult' figure much like Steve had been for her while she was growing up.

Holly turned to her, walking backwards. "Also, she lives 45 minutes away from my parents and have an amazing guest bedroom and the cutest kid on the world. All I can say is that I babysit a lot."

"Maybe If you need some help I could...help...with the kid I mean…I used to babysit when I was in high school." Gail mentally slapped herself at the incoherent words. She didn't knew how Holly could have this power over her. Making her feel calm in one second and a complete mess in the other.

No one had ever affected her like this before and she have only known this girl for a few hours. It was scary. But she was a Peck and she was raised to be brave. "Not that you're not good at it but…I could…help?"

She made a nervous face but Holly didn't seemed to have minded her inability with words, simply smiling softly at her

"Ok."

Gail found herself mimicking the smile. "Ok."

Holly's eyes moved from Gail's to something behind her head and the smile grew in the brunette's face. "Turn around."

"What?" Gail gave her a confused look, frowning.

"Turn around." She half asked half order again and this time Gail did as she was told, still somewhat unsure about the sudden change in conversation. She felt Holly's fingers resting in the back of her neck and a moment later the zipper of her dress started to be undone.

Gail gasped when she realized what the brunette was doing but she didn't stopped her, she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed the light brush of fingers against the warm skin of her backs.

The blonde swallowed hard when the zipper came to a stop on her lower back and suddenly Holly's fingers were gone, leaving her with a sense of loss. Gail's eyes shot open and she turned around, whatever words she had been planning to ask died on her mouth when she saw the woman standing in front of her shitless.

Holly's hands started to work at the buttons of her jeans while Gail's eyes traveled along the brunette's body. She could physically feel her brain going into overdrive and her legs losing its strength.

Holly smirked when she noticed the sultry look the blonde was giving her. "Want to go for a swim?" She dropped her jeans on the grass and started to walk towards the pool couple of steps behind Gail.

The night air was chilly, only working to increase the steam coming out of the warm pool, creating a barrier of fog over the water. Holly shot her one last look before diving, the sound of the water working to break Gail out of her haze.

She quickly took off her shoes and pushed the dress off her shoulders, jumping on the water as well. Gail felt the hot liquid engulfing her whole body, fueling the heat that had settle in her lower belly but not being enough to quill the shakiness of her limbs.

A moment later she swan towards the surface, running a hand over her hair and finding Holly right in front of her. Even with the steam she could see the soft eyes staring into her. Seeing her. Maybe this had been the first time someone had actually seen her. She could dodge all other gazes, full every other glance, but not this one.

Not Holly's.

Holly hadn't break into her barriers. She had simply passes by them uninjured and without causing any harm.

Gail felt her teeth clattering despite the warmth she felt. She didn't knew why she was shaking this much. The vibrations ran from her toes up to her fingers and for a moment she allowed herself to think her molecules were adjusting themselves to Holly's, trying to find the same frequency.

"This is crazy." She whispered to herself without even realizing.

Holly frowned but didn't stopped smiling. "Good crazy or bad crazy?"

Gail blinked the fog away and took a deep breath, she forced herself to regain functions of her legs so she could swim closer. "Depends."

She saw one of her own hands coming up to cradle Holly's cheek. She saw the shock. She saw the gulp. She saw desire and she saw hesitation. But she, herself, didn't felt any of it.

She felt only Holly.

Gail brought their lips as close as possible without actually touching them. "Will you kiss me back?" She breathed before Holly lunged forward and crashed their lips together.

The kiss wasn't soft as a first kiss supposed to be but it also wasn't as heated as their first kiss should have been. It was simply familiar. Comfortable. Safe.

Not a hope, not a promise but a certainty.

Not a dream, not a wish but an inevitability.

Gail was the first one to break their kiss, keeping her eyes closed and her forehead clued to Holly's.

A lazy smile spread over her features and she felt a warm breath against her cheek. "Good crazy?"

"The best." She sighed before searching Holly's lips once again.

This was crazy, she thought wrapping her legs around the brunette's waist.

Absolutely crazy.

Holly backed her to the end of the pool and started to plant open mouth kisses over her neck.

She must have slipped on the rug and hitted her head while trying to reach the closet.

Her hands searched for the clasp of Holly's bra.

Concussion was the only plausible explanation for this.

She felt warm hands over her ribs.

She was a Peck.

She was Gail Peck.

She wasn't stupid enough to believe in love at the first sight. Those things didn't existed. Love didn't existed. Not the way people always wrote about anyway, it was simply affection and convenience, something to be build over time. It wasn't possible to fall for someone with only one glance.

With only a bottle of Champagne.

With only one night.

But when Holly's eyes met hers once again - breathless and naked -, as dark as the night and bearing nothing but lust and affection, she decided that maybe, just maybe, she was wrong.

That wouldn't be a first.

Before tonight she had always hated her mother's dinner parties and now she found herself mentally thanking Elaine for it.

She kissed Holly with a smile on her face, certain that maybe, just maybe, being wrong wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

 _ **A/N2: Just for the sake of fiction let's just pretend heated pools remain heated in empty houses ok? ;) Thanks for reading!**_


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